iPhone X vs. iPhone 8: which should you buy?

Yesterday, Apple announced the iPhone 8, 8 Plus, and X specs, pricing, release dates, and we got to try them out. But which of these three phones is right for you? It depends on your hobbies and daily activities, of course, but I’ve broken it down to what’s most worth it depending on what you’re looking for. If you are in desperate need of a phone immediately, it’s important to note that the iPhone X won’t be out until November 3rd, and the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus come out September 22nd, so you might settle for an iPhone 8 or have to tide yourself over with a cheaper iPhone 7 Plus in the meantime.

First, let’s consider the iPhone 8 compared to its predecessor. The iPhone 8 offers some improvements to the iPhone 7, but if you just bought an iPhone 7 last year, I recommend skipping the 8 this time. It has an all-new glass design, wireless charging capabilities, and an A11 Bionic chip, with faster cores. The battery life in both the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus remains the same as the 7 and 7 Plus, too, but this year’s phones have True Tone display, which changes the screen to look better to your eyes based on ambient light around you.

Color-wise, the iPhone X doesn’t come in gold, so unfortunately, you’re stuck with space gray or silver. The 256GB model of the iPhone X also goes for a whopping $ 1,149, which is priced like a luxury good. Is it luxurious to be able to become a talking poop emoji? Other novelties: the X has no home button, but there’s Face ID instead. In my opinion, it’s not worth the price tag unless you can afford shelling out for prestige points. The iPhone 8 Plus has many of the same hardware upgrades as the iPhone X, such as improved dual cameras (and the Portrait Lighting feature), but it misses out on the OLED edge-to-edge screen. The fact that it’s cheaper might mean more to you, so unless you really want that fancy display, it just doesn’t seem worth it to me.

Ultimately, I would go with an iPhone 8 Plus if you’re looking for a new, snazzy phone with Apple’s latest technology, or stick with an iPhone 7 Plus if you’re budgeting and can be patient for the follow-up to iPhone X. But, if you’ve fallen for the iPhone X and all its glory, then by all means, go for it.

Once you’ve settled on a phone, which storage capacity should you choose?

64GB: If you use your phone casually for streaming videos, Googling directions, and occasionally snapping a photo for Snapchat and Instagram, this is the option for you. Also, if you’re on a budget, the 64GB models are priced $ 100 below the 256GB models, so that can be incentive enough to stick with the smaller option.

256GB: This is a monster amount of capacity, so unless you’re shooting a lot of 4K video or downloading tons of music to your iPhone, it might be overkill. Last year was the first time Apple offered this option for iPhones. Storing a lot of apps and games on your phone can also add up, as does saving your text conversations over time. In those cases, 64GB might not be enough room.

All things considered, a 64GB iPhone 8 Plus, priced at $ 799 before counting the trade-in discount, will be a solid buy for me. But someone out there is surely getting an iPhone X with 256GB, and who’s to judge them?